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Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Recycled Islands
Recycled Islands
After reading this news article it almost seems like this is an elaborate april fools joke, but it is in fact real. The Netherlands based architecture firm WHIM has made plans to hopefully construct islands in the Pacific that would be made from a collection of the plastic garbage that is floating in the ocean. These islands would not only recycle garbage that most people assume will be around as long as humans are at least but the islands could provide homes for a vast number of people. The big question is whether or not the islands will be affordable for people other than the super rich.
After reading this news article it almost seems like this is an elaborate april fools joke, but it is in fact real. The Netherlands based architecture firm WHIM has made plans to hopefully construct islands in the Pacific that would be made from a collection of the plastic garbage that is floating in the ocean. These islands would not only recycle garbage that most people assume will be around as long as humans are at least but the islands could provide homes for a vast number of people. The big question is whether or not the islands will be affordable for people other than the super rich.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Environmental News
MAP REVEALS CLIMATE CHANGE INJUSTICE
WORLD'S SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION MAY BE UNDERWAY
This week science news has presented us with some very disturbing realizations. In the first news article, a graduate student has compiled data on temperature changes and population. The map he made from this data shows the areas that will have the worst impact of amount of temperature change per capita. This is not a complete map due to missing data but what we do see is that the temperature change is not going to be fair. The areas that are going to be most hurt from the change are also areas that are contributing the least amount of greenhouse gases. This means that all the larger countries who are pumping gas into the air are causing more problems for other developing countries rather than creating problems for themselves. One take away message from the data is that there is "concrete quantitative evidence of the disparity between the causes and the consequences of climate change at a national level," Jason Samson says.
The next piece of news provides us with the disturbing fact that we may actually be seeing the sixth mass extinction on Earth. There have been five previous extinctions at a global level and the current one is most likely due to climate change and anthropogenic sources. Humans have destroyed habitats and introduced evasive species all over the world and it is all leading toward more and more species going extinct. This research is just another reason that we need to change the way we are doing things. One of the most disturbing parts of the study is that this current mass extinction is going at a rate much faster than any of the previous ones.
WORLD'S SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION MAY BE UNDERWAY
This week science news has presented us with some very disturbing realizations. In the first news article, a graduate student has compiled data on temperature changes and population. The map he made from this data shows the areas that will have the worst impact of amount of temperature change per capita. This is not a complete map due to missing data but what we do see is that the temperature change is not going to be fair. The areas that are going to be most hurt from the change are also areas that are contributing the least amount of greenhouse gases. This means that all the larger countries who are pumping gas into the air are causing more problems for other developing countries rather than creating problems for themselves. One take away message from the data is that there is "concrete quantitative evidence of the disparity between the causes and the consequences of climate change at a national level," Jason Samson says.
The next piece of news provides us with the disturbing fact that we may actually be seeing the sixth mass extinction on Earth. There have been five previous extinctions at a global level and the current one is most likely due to climate change and anthropogenic sources. Humans have destroyed habitats and introduced evasive species all over the world and it is all leading toward more and more species going extinct. This research is just another reason that we need to change the way we are doing things. One of the most disturbing parts of the study is that this current mass extinction is going at a rate much faster than any of the previous ones.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Discovery Project Earth
Here is something that every person should spend time looking at in order to fully understand climate change and the use of geoengineering to fix it:
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Meat and the Environment
When the issue of climate change arises, the fact that meat is one of the main contributors is hardly mentioned. Cows produce methane, which is twenty times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. They also require 3 to 8 pounds of food in order to produce 1 pound of meat.
The first article is addressing the economic side of the problem. Recently, there have been more and more taxes on emission levels through all industries. Measuring and taxing agricultural emissions is a very difficult task, one that would not produce quality control. The study suggests that taxes are placed on meat and milk to encourage people to eat less of it. The study continues to say that with a decrease in the demand for meat that the grazing land could be used for more efficient foods, like beans. Another benefit is that there is no need to wait for technologies that can make food more efficient and that the money could be used to fight global climate change.
One way technology can change the way food is produced is from Vladimir Mironov, a biologist and tissue engineer at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has been working on a way to grow "cultured" meat as an alternative to raising animals for meat. The main goal is to help solve the future global food crisis. One of the advantages of growing meat is that there would be a lot less methane gas released in the atmosphere and less needed to put in to get a pound of meat. He believes that there could be factories that grow meat, any meat, based on what you want.
The first article is addressing the economic side of the problem. Recently, there have been more and more taxes on emission levels through all industries. Measuring and taxing agricultural emissions is a very difficult task, one that would not produce quality control. The study suggests that taxes are placed on meat and milk to encourage people to eat less of it. The study continues to say that with a decrease in the demand for meat that the grazing land could be used for more efficient foods, like beans. Another benefit is that there is no need to wait for technologies that can make food more efficient and that the money could be used to fight global climate change.
One way technology can change the way food is produced is from Vladimir Mironov, a biologist and tissue engineer at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has been working on a way to grow "cultured" meat as an alternative to raising animals for meat. The main goal is to help solve the future global food crisis. One of the advantages of growing meat is that there would be a lot less methane gas released in the atmosphere and less needed to put in to get a pound of meat. He believes that there could be factories that grow meat, any meat, based on what you want.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Climate Change in 2011
This is the year that, hopefully, everyone will agree that climate change is real. The evidence in support of climate change is impossible to ignore. Other than the billions of dollars that the oil industry spends to convince the public that climate change is not real or all of the weathermen (and news anchors) that laugh at global warming during the harsh winters. We know that climate change is happening and the is enough evidence to suggest that people are one of the main causes of this. 2010 was officially the warmest year on record. The biggest problem we face is that since so many people disagree or are unsure about climate change that there is very little that can be done to try to fix the problem. What can be done is to understand climate change and help those around you to understand.
Fertilizer For Everything
Fertilizer overloading Earth's plant life
This report is another reminder of how our agricultural practices in the modern era are only making the rest of the world worse. In the report, fertilizer use has increased by 800% from 1960 to 2000. This high percentage means that we are putting quite a bit more fertilizer than ever before. The nitrogen found in fertilizer has led to an increase in dead zones and changing the nutrient balance. "Humans may have produced the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle since the major pathways of the modern cycle originated some 2.5 billion years ago." The increase in nitrogen from fertilizer can cause a decrease in plant and algae growth. This can also lead to a need to use more fertilizer, a cycle that is hard to stop. Luckily, there are some suggestions for farmers that can help reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers.
This report is another reminder of how our agricultural practices in the modern era are only making the rest of the world worse. In the report, fertilizer use has increased by 800% from 1960 to 2000. This high percentage means that we are putting quite a bit more fertilizer than ever before. The nitrogen found in fertilizer has led to an increase in dead zones and changing the nutrient balance. "Humans may have produced the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle since the major pathways of the modern cycle originated some 2.5 billion years ago." The increase in nitrogen from fertilizer can cause a decrease in plant and algae growth. This can also lead to a need to use more fertilizer, a cycle that is hard to stop. Luckily, there are some suggestions for farmers that can help reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers.
- better crop rotation
- better timing to limit amounts of fertilizer
- developing genetically-engineered fertilizer-hoarding crops
- improving wheat, barley, and rye through current breeding
- supplying cereals and other crops with microbes that supply nitrogen
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Secret of Global Warming
Companies fight to keep global warming data secret
In the current day and age, people are obsessed with numbers, statistics and anything that puts quantitative data to everything. The EPA's recent proposal would require the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses to make available online the amount of gasses they release. The major concerns are that other businesses will learn the company secrets and that people only need to know what is put into the air. If competitors learn the secrets then the theory states that prices will begin to rise for consumers. This means that consumers would be paying for the extra costs that are involved with gas emissions rather than the businesses. The EPA wants to limit greenhouse gasses so the companies that produce way too much heat-trapping gas would be put in the spotlight which would be better for consumers. The belief that people only need to know what factories put directly in the air seems somewhat unfair. If the data was placed online, there would only be a select few that could accurately understand all the numbers. The masses would likely only hear about what all the data means rather than attempting to understand it themselves. If the data was not released online then fewcould "double check" the data leading to more quick assumptions.
In the current day and age, people are obsessed with numbers, statistics and anything that puts quantitative data to everything. The EPA's recent proposal would require the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses to make available online the amount of gasses they release. The major concerns are that other businesses will learn the company secrets and that people only need to know what is put into the air. If competitors learn the secrets then the theory states that prices will begin to rise for consumers. This means that consumers would be paying for the extra costs that are involved with gas emissions rather than the businesses. The EPA wants to limit greenhouse gasses so the companies that produce way too much heat-trapping gas would be put in the spotlight which would be better for consumers. The belief that people only need to know what factories put directly in the air seems somewhat unfair. If the data was placed online, there would only be a select few that could accurately understand all the numbers. The masses would likely only hear about what all the data means rather than attempting to understand it themselves. If the data was not released online then fewcould "double check" the data leading to more quick assumptions.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Fertilizer Dilemma
Fertilizer Overloading Earth's Plant Life
The creation of synthetic fertilizers was a monumental moment for crops. Farmers started seeing yields that were much larger than they had before. At first glance that seems like everything is good. More crops means more food for more people and with the ever increasing population there needs to be an increase in crop yields. The article mentions that fertilizer use has increased 800% from 1960 to 2000. Unfortunately the synthetic fertilizers are expensive and very bad for the environment. The nitrogen from the fertilizers is having an effect on climate change, creating more dead zones in oceans and is drastically changing the nitrogen cycle. The report that came out with these findings gave solutions such as better crop rotation or limiting the amount of fertilizer use. This may seem like a hassle but as prices increase for synthetic fertilizers farmers only option is to find a better way to see increase crop yields.
The creation of synthetic fertilizers was a monumental moment for crops. Farmers started seeing yields that were much larger than they had before. At first glance that seems like everything is good. More crops means more food for more people and with the ever increasing population there needs to be an increase in crop yields. The article mentions that fertilizer use has increased 800% from 1960 to 2000. Unfortunately the synthetic fertilizers are expensive and very bad for the environment. The nitrogen from the fertilizers is having an effect on climate change, creating more dead zones in oceans and is drastically changing the nitrogen cycle. The report that came out with these findings gave solutions such as better crop rotation or limiting the amount of fertilizer use. This may seem like a hassle but as prices increase for synthetic fertilizers farmers only option is to find a better way to see increase crop yields.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Environment and Rice
Environmental changes lowering yields of miracle rice
One could venture to say that a vast majority of the population eats rice on a regular basis. Rice is a food that is essential to maintaining the population in the world. In the 1960's the 'miracle rice' variety was developed and has been producing higher crop yields than any other variety. One of the advantages of genetically engineering crops are the higher yields but there is still the risk of genetic drift. When research showed that the 'miracle rice' had a 15% less yield than before people became concerned with genetics. Research now shows that the environmental changes are responsible for the decrease in yield. Changes in the environment can cause major problems with crop yields as well as for the population who rely on the crops. There are probably many solutions for this problem but where things stand now there is a cycle of decreasing crop yields. As the population increases, the environment most likely changes. As the environment changes, there are lower rice crop yields. This will continue until people start to die off from starvation, a new rice variety created or people work to prevent a change in the environment.
One could venture to say that a vast majority of the population eats rice on a regular basis. Rice is a food that is essential to maintaining the population in the world. In the 1960's the 'miracle rice' variety was developed and has been producing higher crop yields than any other variety. One of the advantages of genetically engineering crops are the higher yields but there is still the risk of genetic drift. When research showed that the 'miracle rice' had a 15% less yield than before people became concerned with genetics. Research now shows that the environmental changes are responsible for the decrease in yield. Changes in the environment can cause major problems with crop yields as well as for the population who rely on the crops. There are probably many solutions for this problem but where things stand now there is a cycle of decreasing crop yields. As the population increases, the environment most likely changes. As the environment changes, there are lower rice crop yields. This will continue until people start to die off from starvation, a new rice variety created or people work to prevent a change in the environment.
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